Tavia Galonski (née Baxter) is an American politician who served as a member of the

Ohio House of Representatives The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate. The House of Representatives first met in ...

from 2017 to 2023. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, she represented portions of

Akron Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city prop ...

and Barberton in Summit County.

Life and career

Galonski received her bachelor's degree from

Emory University Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1836 as "Emory College" by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory, Emory is the second-oldest private institution of ...

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, and then a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

degree from the

University of Akron School of Law The University of Akron School of Law is the law school at the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio, USA. Offering both the J.D. and LL.M. degrees, it was founded in 1921 as the Akron School of Law and merged with the University of Akron in 195 ...

. In Atlanta, Galonski worked as a flight attendant for

Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines, Inc., typically referred to as Delta, is one of the major airlines of the United States and a legacy carrier. One of the List of airlines by foundation date, world's oldest airlines in operation, Delta is headquartered in Atla ...

while in school. A former

Teamster A teamster is the American term for a truck driver or a person who drives teams of draft animals. Further, the term often refers to a member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a labor union in the United States and Canada. Origi ...

, Galonski's father was a member of the

United Auto Workers The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, better known as the United Auto Workers (UAW), is an American labor union that represents workers in the United States (including Puerto Rico ...

. An attorney by trade, Galonski previously served as a magistrate in the Summit County Court of Common Pleas, including in the county's juvenile court. She is married to Summit County Chief Assistant Prosecutor John Galonski, and together they have two children.

Ohio House of Representatives

When former Representative

Greta Johnson Greta Johnson (born May 2, 1977) is an American attorney and politician. Johnson is the former representative of the 35th district of the Ohio House of Representatives, serving from January 2015 to March 2017. Johnson is a former assistant pros ...

left the General Assembly in the spring of 2017, Galonski sought the appointment to replace her. Johnson resigned from the 35th House District to work in the Summit County Law Department as Deputy Law Director. Galonski was selected to replace Johnson by House Democrats, who had the authority to appoint a replacement, and was seated on May 10, 2017. She was elected for a full, two-year term on November 6, 2018 with 61% of the vote. In 2020, Galonski said President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

should be tried for

crimes against humanity Crimes against humanity are widespread or systemic acts committed by or on behalf of a ''de facto'' authority, usually a state, that grossly violate human rights. Unlike war crimes, crimes against humanity do not have to take place within the ...

in The Hague, the site of the

International Criminal Court The International Criminal Court (ICC or ICCt) is an intergovernmental organization and international tribunal seated in The Hague, Netherlands. It is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute individuals ...

(ICC), for recommending the use of

hydroxychloroquine Hydroxychloroquine, sold under the brand name Plaquenil among others, is a medication used to prevent and treat malaria in areas where malaria remains sensitive to chloroquine. Other uses include treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, an ...

as a treatment for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. However, the United States is not a member of the ICC. Galonski resigned from the Ohio House in January 2024 after being appointed as Summit County Clerk of Clerks.

References

External links

Ohio State Representative Tavia Galonski
''official site'' - {{DEFAULTSORT:Galonski, Tavia Living people Emory University alumni University of Akron alumni Democratic Party members of the Ohio House of Representatives 21st-century American legislators 21st-century American women politicians Politicians from Akron, Ohio Year of birth missing (living people) African-American state legislators in Ohio